Innsbruck, 1976: Skater Dorothy Hamill

No pressure, Dorothy. Hamill was reputed in TIME’s cover story as the U.S.’s last bastion of gold medal-hopefulness at the 1976 Winter Olympics in Innsbruck, Austria, if it came down to such a dire situation. There were fortunately two other U.S. golds before figure skater Hamill took the ice, but her pressure was still heightened. And she didn’t disappoint, notching the top score in ladies’ singles figure skating. TIME explained that it was more than just technique that helped the nation’s premiere artist on ice bring home the gold:

“Perhaps her most remarkable quality is the most elusive one: her musicality. Every move is annealed to rhythm; each musical line is filled out fluidly rather than punctuated abruptly. When it is all going right, Dorothy’s performance can inspire even Dorothy, who has skated it hundreds of times.”